BANGKOK: A 22-year-old Chinese man was rescued after spending three harrowing days trapped in a 12-metre-deep well in a remote Thai forest, with his desperate cries mistaken by locals for eerie ghostly sounds.
According to a recent MalayMail report, the incident unfolded in Mae Sot, a town in Tak province, near Thailand’s border with Myanmar.
Local police were first alerted on November 24 after villagers reported hearing strange, haunting cries emanating from the forest during the night.
These noises were believed to be supernatural in origin, causing many to avoid investigating further.
The trapped man, identified as Liu Chuanyi, later revealed that he had been shouting for help every hour, trying to conserve his strength while stranded at the bottom of the abandoned well.
The breakthrough came on Sunday evening when a passing patrol unit, hearing the cries, began to investigate. The chief officer called out, and to their surprise, a voice responded.
This led them to the source of the cries—a dry well—where Liu was found in a weakened state, suffering from a fractured wrist, a concussion, and multiple bruises.
A swift rescue operation, led by the Mae Sot Pitakkarn Foundation, took about 30 minutes. Liu was quickly transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Authorities suspect that Liu, who had wandered into the forest, accidentally fell into the well while attempting to find his way out. Immigration officials have been contacted to investigate why he was near the Thai-Myanmar border.
In response to the incident, authorities are taking steps to seal off the well to prevent similar accidents in the future.